The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, SEPT 25, 1912.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3637, 25 September 1912, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, SEPT 25, 1912.

The election of the Poverty Bay River District Board, which is fixed to] take place today, promises to furnish an exciting poll. As showing j the large amount of interest which j lias been occasioned in the matter, it j mr” he Tuvin ted out that .there are no fewer than eleven candidates for the five seats upon the proposed board. Unquestionably, also, the importance of the business which the board will be required to transact is fully appreciated. In this regard it will be noted that with tw)o or three exceptions all the candidates are “tried men” so far as experience on local bodies is concerned. But, withal, the five hundred electors who are entitled to vote will have no easy task before them. For our own part it would seem that the ratepayers would have been greatly assisted if all, instead of just over half, the aspirants had made known their views on the various matters which this new local body will be called upon to consider. It is, for instance, a great pity that all the cap - didates have not indicated their opinions on (say) tire definition of the river district, etc. Tliat omissions have been made—as for example lands on the Pukepapa and Rungarehu flats opposite Ormond and Kaitaratahi—is, we think, not open to doubt. On the other hand it is very questionable whether such lands as the portions of Barker’s and Gray’s Whataupoko properties which have been included should form part of the rating district. Another vexed matter, which will come before the new board, is the question as to whether the rating should be on a differential basis. As matters stand to-day, all the lands within the district are, it would appear, on the same footing in this regard. How important it is that only the most capable aspirants should be elected is here further exemplified. The proper thing to he done is undoubtedly that all the lands should be classified according to their liability to damage by flood waters. Not less important, we think, is the further question as to the attitude in which all proposed works should be approached by the new board. In this connection we note that there are at least two parties among the aspirants. Whilst- it is indubitably the position that one party wishes to speed the inauguration of a big imI provement scheme, another party ' seems to be affecting an excessive amount of caution. For our own part we may say at once that we believe that when the new board gets full

The River Board Election, *

engineering advice it will find that it will be advantageous to the whole district to proceed with a scheme involving more than the removal of willows and the cutting through of the siltbanks in the river. There are other matters which might also be touched upon, but we have, we think, gone far enough to show how important is the work whiclulic-s before the new board. As the views of nearly half the aspirants are, as we have already said, a sealed book to the ratepayers, it will be readily seen, however, that it- is impossible for us to suggest which five candidates would in our opinion be likely, if elected, to give the ratepayers the. most valuable service.